On 2 March 1998 ten-year-old Natascha Kampusch was snatched off the street by a stranger and bundled into a white van. Hours later she found herself in a dark cellar, wrapped in a blanket. When she emerged eight years later, her childhood had gone.
In “3,096 Days” Natascha tells her incredible story for the first time: her difficult childhood, what exactly happened on the day of her abduction, her imprisonment in a five-square-metre dungeon, and the mental and physical abuse she suffered from her abductor, Wolfgang Priklopil.
“3,096 Days” is ultimately a story about the triumph of the human spirit. It describes how, in a situation of almost unbearable hopelessness, she slowly learned how to manipulate her captor. And how, against inconceivable odds, she managed to escape unbroken.
3096 days is another book that I’ve had for years but was a little scared to read. I knew only a few things about Natasha Kampush and that was only what had happened on the last day of her captivity. For all these years I had lived with the impression that she had had some freedom, she was outside after all. It’s really a very good thing that she had the courage to write this book and tell everyone what exactly she had to endure during these 8 long years.
However strange it sounds, Natasha doesn’t come across as a traumatized victim. She’s such a strong person, even at the tender age of 10 years, and I’m sure that’s what helped her get through this. I’m not sure I would have been able to if I were in her place.
She doesn’t talk about sexual abuse although I don’t doubt there was since he wanted to control her in every way possible. Her captor cut off all her hair, he gave her another name (she wasn’t allowed to mention her real name), he told her lies about the windows being booby-trapped and who he would kill if she escaped. The many ways he tries to demolish her identity are astounding but he was never able to break her completely.
He had many problems, was OCD and anorexic and she almost didn’t get any food at all while she had to cook all his meals. He would bring her video tapes or other things she asked for but while cooking, cleaning and helping him renovate the house he would accuse her of anything and everything and use a lot of violence against her.
Natasha also explains in the book why she can also mention some good things about him and doesn’t only see him as a monster. This view helped her to cope and survive while she was held. As she says it’s always in movies that everyone is 100% good or 100% bad. The media isn’t really happy with her viewpoint and even tries to tell her how she should feel and think but she doesn’t care, she doesn’t fold to others anymore, she does she and I love her for it.
I’m not going to lie, yes 3096 days is heavy stuff but it is told not coldly but with enough detachment to not let the reader feel utterly depressed. Natasha is so strong and I admire her resilience so much. I don’t regret reading her story at all, quite the opposite.
I’d rather not rate this book because it doesn’t feel right in a way but it’s also a five star read because she describes her situation and environment very well and the writing was very accessible.
I bought a second-hand copy of this novel. This is my honest opinion.
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The Belgian Reviewer 